ROOM X.] 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
31 
the Old world and its islands. Among these are the Two- 
banded Monitor ( Mon . bivittatus), from India; the Laced 
Monitor [Mon. varius ), from New Holland ; the Orna¬ 
mented Monitor ( Mon . ornatus ), from the Cape; and the 
Grey Ouran (. Mon . scincus), from Egypt. All these speci¬ 
mens live near the water’s edge, and are venerated by the 
natives, who assert that they give notice of the approach 
of the Crocodiles, by hissing when they perceive one of 
those animals. Whether this be fact or fiction, the name. 
Monitor, is probably to be traced to that origin. The 
Americans have a similar idea with regard to the Safe¬ 
guards ( Teius ) of the New world. In the Collection are 
the Double-crested Ada ( Teius bicarinatus ), very like the 
Crocodile in shape; the Variegated Safeguard ( Teius 
monitor ) ; various species of Ameiva ( Lacerta ameiva , 
Lin.) : and the Intermediate Centropyx(TWws intermedins ), 
remarkable for its lanceolate abdominal plates, besides which, 
the male has two spiniform scales on each side of the base of 
the tail. Next follow the True Lizards, which, like the Mo¬ 
nitors, are peculiar to the Old world ; but they are at once 
distinguished from them by the tongue being, like those 
of the Safeguards, simply contractile, whereas that of the 
Monitor is withdrawn into a sheath under the gullet when 
at rest, in the same manner as the tongue of snakes. The 
Collection contains several specimens of this genus, most of 
which are found in Europe ; as the Ocellated Lizard {Lcic. 
ocellata ), Green Lizard {Lac. viridis ), and the Wall 
Lizard {Lac. muralis ), found on heaths near London. 
This animal is said to be both oviparous and viviparous, 
and has been confounded by authors with another species 
{Lacerta agilis ), not a native of Britain. Lastly, the 
Swift Lizards {Tackydromus), which very much resemble 
the true Lizards, but have an exceedingly long body and 
tail, with their fore and hind legs very far apart, and the 
back covered with shields somewhat like those on the ab¬ 
domen. They are found in China and Java, and are said to 
run with amazing velocity. Most of these animals have the 
faculty of reproducing their tails when broken off, an ac¬ 
cident which often happens in the mere exertion of the 
animal to escape. The reproduced part has only a central 
cartilage in the place of the bones, and is often covered 
